Friday, September 25, 2015

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series contrinues Celaena's epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world. ”

My Review

Since just about every blogger and their brother who reads this book will end up reviewing it, I thought I'd try a different for me and hopefully a fun review set up for you guys.

Initial Reaction

"Fire-breathing bitch-queen."

Could I have been any more excited for this book? I preordered it as soon as I was able to once it was up and stalked my mailbox for a whole week of hellish waiting after it was released and sent to me.

Characters

"She was fire, and light, and ash, and embers. She was Aelin Fireheart, and she bowed for no one and nothing, save the crown that was hers by blood and survival and triumph."

I am in love. I love all these characters. Even ones I wasn't initially impressed with, I have grown fond of. I love how their interactions and decisions shaped their lives. I love seeing consequences appear later on (even from events in earlier books) as it makes them feel all the more real.

World Building

"Sometimes there won’t be a right choice, just the best of several bad options."

This book, like each book before it, takes the world I thought I knew and shifts it ever so slightly out of alignment. Things I though were true were only but the surface lining of a world so complex, so real, that I am absolutely impressed to see how tiny details from previous books are incorporated as major plot points in this one.

Plot

"If you're a monster, I'm a monster."

"But perhaps the monsters needed to look out for each other every now and then."

I love this book. I love this story. The more I read, the more I want to devour these pages. Even plot points I'm not as much of a fan of (Sorry Manon, please don't kill me. But it was hard to want to be in your world sometimes when all I waned was to be with Aelin or Rowan or Aedion) captured me before the end and I needed to know what happened next to these friends I've made along the way.

Writing

"She was a whirling cloud of death, a queen of shadows, and these men were already carrion."

This book was no less wonderful than the previous.

Final Reaction

"You make me want to live. Not survive; not exist. Live."

I think the quotation and the gif sum things up nicely. More ugly tears are imminent...

Overall

You definitely need to have read The Assassin's Blade yet, you need to read it before this book. Previous books may have hinted at things about Sam and Celeana/Aelin's past, but this book assumes you are up to date in this world's history and you will be lost at times if you haven't picked it up yet.

Overall, I really loved this book. I can easily see how some fans are disappointed based upon the direction this series is turning. (Though, that is still no excuse for some of the author bashing I have heard.) But honestly I loved it. One I love certain characters more so I am pleased with the results/changes from that stand point.And two, I really think it shows how much these characters are changed from their previous experiences. Sometimes life really does draw people apart while drawing others together. No one is the same person they were two years ago, or even two minutes ago. Our experiences define us and affect our outlook on life. I really love how real this series feels in that respect.*Note: This review originally had gifs, which I removed when I decided to no longer include gifs on my site.*

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